JUN
8 -- (NEW YORK) – DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy and Michael J.
Garcia, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York
announced today the arrest of Monzer al Kassar, a/k/a “Abu Munawar,” a/k/a
“El Taous,” an international arms dealer charged with conspiring to sell
millions of dollars worth of weapons to the Fuerzas Armadas
Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) -- a designated foreign terrorist
organization -- to be used to kill Americans in Colombia.

FARC
mobilization in an undated photo.

Defendants
believed they were selling weapons to members of the FARC (pictured
above).

Kassar, along with
co-defendants Tareq Mousa al Ghazi and Luis Felipe Moreno-Godoy were
arrested yesterday as they prepared to finalize the multimillion-dollar
transaction to pay for the weapons. Kassar was arrested on the U.S.
charges by Spanish authorities in Madrid; simultaneously Ghazi and
Moreno-Godoy were arrested in Romania.

"Monzer al Kassar
commands a global munitions empire, arming and funding insurgents and
terrorists across the globe, particularly those who wish to harm
Americans," said DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy. "He operates in the
shadows, the silent partner behind the business of death and terror.
Kassar's capture is a testament to DEA's unique investigative skills and
broad reach of its international intelligence network."

Kassar's estate
in Marbella, Spain.

According to the
Indictment unsealed yesterday in Manhattan federal court: Since the early
1970s, Kassar, an international weapons trafficker, has been a ready
source of weapons and military equipment for armed factions engaged in
violent conflicts around the world. Kassar has provided weapons and
military equipment to such factions in Nicaragua, Brazil, Cyprus, Bosnia,
Croatia, Somalia, Iran, and Iraq, among other countries. Some of these
factions have included known terrorist organizations, such as the
Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF), the goals of which included attacking
United States interests and United States nationals.

To carry out his
weapons-trafficking business, Kassar developed an international network of
criminal associates, including co-defendants Ghazi and Moreno-Godoy, as
well as front companies and bank accounts in various countries, including
the United Kingdom, Spain, Syria, Iraq, Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania.
Additionally, Kassar has engaged in money-laundering transactions in bank
accounts throughout the world to disguise the illicit nature of his
criminal proceeds.

Schematic of
vessel to transport weapons provided by defendants to undercover
investigators.

Between February 2006
and May 2007, Kassar, Ghazi, and Moreno-Godoy agreed to sell to the FARC
millions of dollars worth of weapons + - including thousands of machine
guns, millions of rounds of ammunition, rocket-propelled grenade launchers
(RPGs), and surface-to-air missile systems (SAMs). During a series of
recorded telephone calls, emails, and in-person meetings, Kassar, Ghazi,
and Moreno-Godoy agreed to sell the weapons to two confidential sources
(CS) working with the DEA, who represented that they were acquiring these
weapons for the FARC, with the specific understanding that the weapons
were to be used to attack United States helicopters in Colombia.

During their
consensually recorded meetings, Kassar, Ghazi, and Moreno-Godoy provided
the CSs with, among other things: (1) a schematic of the vessel to be used
to transport the weapons; (2) specifications for the SAMs they agreed to
sell to the FARC; and (3) bank accounts in Spain and Lebanon that were
ultimately used to conceal more than $400,000 from DEA undercover accounts
that the CSs represented, and Kassar, Ghazi, and Moreno-Godoy believed,
were FARC drug proceeds for the weapons deal. During their meetings with
the CSs, Kassar, Ghazi, and Moreno-Godoy reviewed Nicaraguan end-user
certificates that were used to make the weapons deal appear legitimate.
Kassar also promised to provide the FARC with ton-quantities of C4
explosives, as well as expert trainers from Lebanon to teach the FARC how
to effectively use C4 and improvised explosive devices (commonly referred
to as "IEDs"). In addition, Kassar offered to send a thousand men to fight
with the FARC against United States military officers in Colombia.

U.S. Attorney Garcia
praised the investigative efforts of the DEA, the Spanish National Police,
and the Romanian Border Police. Garcia also thanked the Counterterrorism
Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

"Monzer Al Kassar has
long been one of the most prolific arms dealers in the world. He has
supported terrorists and insurgents by providing them with high‑powered
weapons that have fueled the most violent conflicts of the last three
decades," said Garcia. "Today, Kassar and two of his criminal associates
face charges for agreeing to arm a terrorist organization whose aim was to
kill American citizens."

The Indictment
announced today charges Kassar, Ghazi, and Moreno-Godoy with four separate
terrorism offenses:

Count One:
Conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated
foreign terrorist organization, in violation of Title 18, United States
Code, Section 2339B;

Count Two:
Conspiracy to kill United States nationals, in violation of Title 18,
United States Code, Section 2332(b);

Count Three:
Conspiracy to kill United States officers or employees, in violation of
Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1114 and 1117; and

Count Four:
Conspiracy to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile, in violation of
Title 18, United States Code, Section 2332g.

In addition, Kassar
and Moreno-Godoy are charged in Count Five with money laundering, in
violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956.

If convicted of Count
One, the defendants each face maximum sentences of 15 years’ imprisonment.
If convicted of Counts Two through Four, the defendants each face maximum
sentences of life imprisonment, and a mandatory minimum sentence of 25
years' imprisonment for Count Four. Finally, if convicted of Count Five,
Kassar and Moreno-Godoy each face maximum sentences of 20 years'
imprisonment.

The international law
enforcement operation announced today was the result of cooperation
between the DEA, the Spanish National Police, and the Romanian Border
Police.